Raymond Bickson
With the recent
acquisition of Campton Place in San Francisco, its third
U.S. property, India-based Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces continues
its program of interna-tional expansion. M&C spoke
with CEO Raymond Bickson about the luxury hotel company’s present
and future.
How would you rate the
reception of your product in the United States?
We are very pleased with the response. We realize
that we are new entrants to the U.S. market, but we also believe
that our inherent strengths as a 105-year hotel brand will allow us
to swiftly develop a powerful brand awareness about Taj in our
target markets.
In addition to New York,
Boston and San Francisco, what other American cities does Taj have
on its radar?
Our ambitions lie in key gateway cities such as
Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Washington, D.C., as well as in
Hawaii. As in other international markets we’ve pursued over the
past four years, we venture to develop, design and manage five- or
six-star luxury hotels. We aim to compete within the top one, two
or three hotels in that destination.